A TRIO of farms near Longdon are the first to sign up to a special wetland conservation scheme covering the whole of the Severn and Avon river valleys.

Special subsidies will be paid to the farmers in order to keep patches of their land wet during early summer, enabling birds such as the redshank and snipe to feed and breed.

They are not being named because discussions are still taking place with the Government over other conservation measures.

Brian Smith is wetlands preservation officer for the Severn and Avon Vales Wetlands Partnership, which is administrating the schemes.

"The wetland areas are vital for these birds be-cause they use their bills to dig for food," he explained.

"I can't give you precise details of the farms, as the owners are currently in negotiation with DEFRA over conservation stewardship schemes, but two of them are right next to each other, providing just under 50 hectares of uninterrupted marshland."

The eventual target is to have 500 acres of wetland throughout the area under similar protective subsidy schemes.